Barefoot experts...tick list please

pookie

pookie

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Can anyone throw me in the rough direction of a simple list of things to do/feed when prepping to go from shod to unshod? I've never been through the transition with a horse before and my other mare has always been unshod with good feet/manhole covers :D New mare has appalling feet and long-term I'd like to take her barefoot too if the farrier agrees. Either way her feet are currently bad enough I'd like to do something to improve them..."currently" as I've no idea yet whether it's a result of bad grazing, bad farriery before coming to me, naturally weak feet, a combination of all three or something else entirely.

Ring doughnuts for anyone who can help :D
 
Not sure if there's a list anywhere, but PhoenixHorse is a good place to start for information.

A quick 101...

Forage - low sugar, high fibre. Grass is usually the biggest problem here.

Feed - avoid starch and sugar in the diet.

Minerals - need to be present in roughly the right proportions to get optimum hoof growth.

Environment - as much movement as the horse is comfortable with.

Trim - shouldn't inhibit the horse's comfort.

Think those are the basics :D
 
My lad gets coolstance copra meal, unmolassed sugar beet, handful of micronised linseed, pro balance + supplement, mag ox in the form of cal mag cos it's the cheapest, and plenty of salt. His hooves are in lovely condition. Oh and he's also fed ad lib timothy haylage instead of hay and only on the grass at night. We also do at least 20 miles of roadwork a week, sometimes more. Thankfully I love hacking and have lots of nice lanes to do it in :)

Good luck with starting yours off, the supplements and mag ox can be refused by fussy eaters initially but more copra meal works for us. :)
 
Fast Fibre plus 50-70gms micronised linseed and Equimins Advance powder/Laminator in summer.
Fast fibre plus 100-150gms micronised linseed and Equimins Advance plus non molassed sugar beet pulp and handful of Dengie non mollassed lo alfa chaff.
Regular shoeing , 6 weeks if possible.
Regular exercise on tarmac to naturally trim off the hoof, and a rasp to round off edges, which will chip. Use a soft wire brush [£1.00] to clean sole and frog.
I have been working barefoot for 18 months, and only now are the feet concave and the wall "rounded" looking from the sole.
The horse has been walking out well and landing heel first since starting, but he is not often rock crunching on sharp gravel.
Hoof quality has always been good, but coat colour and skin are much better.
 
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Thanks for all the replies :D Will try to address a few things...

She's kept on grass livery, along with my other mare, and has no hard feed. Micronised linseed is on order already :) Back feet are far worse (crumbling) than fronts but fronts are not great either.

Farrier came out Saturday (first time since being with me) but couldn't/didn't do much as my mare was too unhappy...dutifully raised each foot but couldn't bear him to do anything to them. Farrier wants her sedated when we make the next attempt.

Her hooves have quite a history in the rings. I'll be off down the yard soon so will try to take pics.
 
Miss L Toe said:
The other possibility is hoof wraps, though I don't know much about them, obviously it looks as though it will be some time before she can be worked,maybe ask Equimins about their hoof mender
http://www.equimins-online.com/all-products/65-equimins-hoof-mender-supplement-pellets.html
You can use Fast Fibre to carry other supplements.
Click to expand...

I've no idea about hoof wraps...will investigate. Fast Fibre is easily doable though...off to the feed merchant tomorrow then :D

She's now lost a shoe (back offside). Some appalling pics as my phone battery was dying - best I could do on my own and before it died completely (taken before I groomed)

1.jpg


3.jpg


OS_B_2.jpg


Back nearside after a brief clean:
NS_B_2.jpg
 
jools123 said:
they are not that bad, i am not trying to change your mind i was just expecting horrendous feet
Click to expand...

I know, they're not exactly falling off but could be a lot better. It was easier to see how much hoof had crumbled when the shoe was on.
 
Yes I was surprised how good they were [!], I would take both hind shoes off straight away, have a pasture trim and let mother nature take care of them.
How long have the fronts been shod, I am no expert but I do not like them at all, not the hoof quality but the shape.
Others will comment on when to go barefoot as I think you need to arm yourself with knowledge and fortify herself with vitamins and minerals.
Feet First was my bible when I stared to learn about feet, though the dietary information is a bit out of date, as seaweed meal is no longer recommended.
There is information on Rockely Farm http://www.rockleyfarm.co.uk/ , it is a good idea to study the photos as this must be your guide if, like me you cannot get a good trimmer, and like farriers there are good and bad!
I have a double ended rasp from Dave Wilson Equestrian which I use to round off the edges, I am getting quite confident with it now.
 
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